Hidden Gems 2025: The Best New Games You Might Never Have Heard Of

Even for those who try their best, keeping track of every worthwhile game that comes out is downright impossible. Such a challenge only becomes more difficult with each passing year, so that’s never been more true than in 2025, as the number of releases on Steam alone continues to explode. But that sheer quantity is no reflection on the quality level of many of them–there are tons of great games out there, and odds are there are more than a few that you’d love but have never heard of.With that in mind, we’ve assembled a list of the best hidden gems of 2025: games that we really enjoyed and are generally lesser-known. The main criteria here is the game had to be released in the past year, it can’t be a big-name release, and it didn’t make our top 10 of 2025 (in some cases, perhaps because not enough staff knew of them in time to play!). If you’re looking for even more recommendations along these lines, check out our personal Games of the Year of 2025, as well as our ongoing list of